Andrew Pollack: XPages in Domino Designer

January 29 2008

Andrew has published a paper overviewing the new Domino Designer 8.5 XPages development construct.  Originally written to be published on IBM's site, he's released it now as a PDF with IBM's permission.  This PDF is worth a read if you want to understand new capabilities coming later this year, as well as a higher-level thought about the future of Domino development.

Link: Andrew Pollack: XPages in Domino Designer >

Ed Brill Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Notes and Domino 8  Add/View Comments [10]

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  1. 1  Erik Brooks  | 1/30/2008 11:43:36 AM

    Awesome.

    I *think* the answer is yes, but I'll ask to clarify anyway: Will they work over the web?

  1. 2  Craig Wiseman http://www.wiseman.la/cpw | 1/30/2008 12:18:16 PM

    @1 - Yes, actually initially ONLY over the web. Notes client support will follow.

  1. 3  Craig Wiseman http://www.wiseman.la/cpw | 1/30/2008 12:19:48 PM

    @2 - OK, per the ever-elegant Ms. Leland, Notes client support might be in 8.5, but given the load to get everything ready, I wouldn't plan on it.

  1. 4  Erik Brooks  | 1/30/2008 6:09:41 PM

    @3 - Good. No offense, but I could care less about the client. :-) It's got in-view-edit capabilities for now (I know, not even close to what xPages offers) but the web has been bleeding and dying for this sort of capability for a looong time.

    ...And hearing that Notes client support for xPages is taking a *back seat* to the web support for it is... wow.

    That's headline-worthy act of commitment all by itself.

  1. 5  Craig Wiseman http://www.wiseman.la/cpw | 1/31/2008 8:25:26 AM

    @4 - dead on. And look at the perentage of time it (and the general designer improvements got in the Lotsphere OGS...

    I can only hope that since it's for 8.5, LS09 OGS will be be all gushy about it.

  1. 6  Craig Wiseman http://www.wiseman.la/cpw | 1/31/2008 8:26:10 AM

    @5 - Craig - please lurn howe to proofe rede befor posting.

  1. 7  Gregg Bendtsen  | 3/11/2008 8:19:02 AM

    Select User = "@3" : "@4"; I don't see how reversing the order of the availability of the function (web first instead of Notes first) helps. It just irritates a new set of developers. Our main applications all use the Notes client. This means the 'new thing' is only available on the web, so Notes-centric developers have to wait. We have resisted re-writing our major applications for the web, but this might be enough to start that process, which I truly do not look forward to.

  1. 8  Kerr  | 3/11/2008 9:01:30 AM

    @7, Web developers haven't had anything really new to play with in quite some time. Are you using all the new rich client stuff that came with 8? The web side is in desperate need of an overhaul and this is the result. That there is any possibility that some of the work being done there might be reusable in the client side is a bonus.

  1. 9  Gregg Bendtsen  | 3/12/2008 9:16:16 AM

    @8, this was a philisophical point. I'm happy for new functionality on the web as well. We are in the process of upgrading from 6.5 to 8. I realize there is a lot there for us. One other thing: I think widgets (ND8.0.1) work on the web. Isn't that new for web development and pretty cool? I'm speaking from ignorance here, so feel free to correct (like any of us need that encouragement!).

    Question: xPages - these are a form construct, right? Fields, etc. Shouldn't it have been xForms? (I was also going to ask about whether a native JOIN capability might be added, but see there is a lively discussion about that on ideajam.com: { Link }

  1. 10  Kerr  | 3/12/2008 10:12:58 AM

    @9, Widgets are a client feature, in that you surface widgets in the client. Nothing in the domino server has anything to do with widgets.

    xPages is still a code name as far as I'm aware. I believe that they are trying to find a name that will describe them but not come with any baggage from the existing notes domino vocab. As you can see, that may be difficult.